Autumn Hike

Ryan and I have been dreaming and scheming of fun adventures for the fall and winter. During the last few years, my law school schedule prevented us from enjoying a ski weekend or day in the woods. Well, that will not happen anymore! We can't wait for snow to fall and so we can ski or snowshoe in our backyard. Until the snow comes, we are taking time to hike and enjoy Mother Nature in all her glory.

This weekend we went to a hiking spot about 30 minutes from Seattle, Olallie State Park. As usual, we have some photos:

Thorough Signage

Trailside debris leftover from a major windstorm last December.
Many parks, including Rainier National Park, were devastated by the storm with trails and campgrounds closed during the main tourist season. Volunteers and the Parks Service are working hard to return outdoor recreation areas to usable condition. In the Seattle area, many people lost power for a week or more and a woman lost her life after her basement flooded. We were surprised to see more evidence of the storm 10 months later.

My Boys
Soma and Ryan enjoying the trail.

Navigating a Tight Spot

The trail we hiked went underneath this bridge. Another trail, formed by an old Forest Service road, went over the bridge and along the mountains for many miles.

Washington's Version of Deciduous Trees

Twin Falls
This was an unbelievably beautiful part of the trail. Two large waterfalls were upstream while another waterfall was downstream and within view. The bridge where this picture was taken was about 50 feet above the narrow gorge.

Like true yuppie-puppy parents, we bring Soma his own water bottle. However, he doesn't drink anything unless you put your hand underneath the spout.

Pumpkin Carving/Doughnut Party

Every year, our friends, Amy and Byron, host a Pumpkin Carving/Doughnut party in their backyard. Ryan and I love the event, but Ryan takes pumpkin carving to a new level. Ryan spends a few weeks researching different pumpkin carving ideas and then picks the most difficult and time consuming design. This year, a Martha Stewart design won out and Ryan carved a skull design that required a lot of delicate shaving and precise design-work.


I used a stencil that came with a carving kit to carve a skull with flames surrounding the creepy cranium. Soma's pumpkin was supposed to be a hissing cat because he LOVES chasing cats and squirrels when we walk around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the cat got a little warped by my lack of carving skills (Ryan was still working on etching his skull pumpkin at the time), so the final product looks more like a mutant rabid squirrel/cat mix. On the plus side, Soma chases both so the pumpkin still represents Soma accurately.

Watch Out For The Mutant Rabid Cat-Squirrel!

I grew up with cake doughnuts in the fall. I have many fond memories of my mom canning and jamming whatever fruits and veggies remained after the summer growing season and "us" kids devouring hot doughnuts rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Fall in Seattle means rain and cold weather, which is the perfect weather for comfort foods like homemade doughnuts and warming soups. This fall has been colder and darker than usual, but the weather cooperated and we enjoyed a gorgeous evening.

The Main Table
Byron made this 10' table with reclaimed lumber from an old car port. Amy used some plants from her great garden and exercised her creativity to create the fabulous centerpiece.

Doughnut Varieties:
Chocolate (see "Photo Of The Week"), Ginger Buttermilk, and Apple with Maple Sugar (above).

"Act Natural"

Ryan is taking the day off to recuperate from his intense pumpkin carving project, but something tells me that he will be thinking about next year's pumpkin design by the end of the week.

Great Article On Land In Montana

Ryan and I were just perusing the internet news when we came across this article on land use in my home county, Flathead County, Montana. While the article is a good snapshot of the land use troubles in the area, one thing not examined adequately in the article is the ripple effect development, especially from out-of-the-area millionaires interested in vacation homes, has on housing prices for local residents. The article talks a lot about timber, conservation, and wealthy investors buying land in the west but portrays locals narrowly (i.e. old time timber folk and environmentalists).

It isn't often that my little corner of the world gets mentioned in the New York Times.

The Connecticut Crew

From Left: Jason Horwitz, Jeff Larsen, Groom Doer, Ryan, Me, and Jeff Lee

Special thanks to Jeff Lee for sending this photo of the Connecticut crew celebrating Doer's wedding last weekend. What a handsome group...

California Love

Chapter 1: Blue Crush Wannabes

Ryan and I just returned from another weekend away. This time, we were honored to attend the fabulous wedding of Mike Hilldoerfer and Lisa Guadagnola in Los Altos/Palo Alto, California. Pictures and details of the wedding are below, but first...

After Ryan and I surfed in Mexico earlier this year, we decided to head to the Sunshine State a little early for 2 days of surfing lessons on Linda Mar Beach in Pacifica. We were very excited to get in the ocean, but I have to admit that I was a little worried about being cold. I whined about having to wear a wetsuit and booties. I whined about the air temperature and the wind. Ryan, fed up with my whining, helped me refocus by telling me to get over it. Once the wetsuit was on and we got in the water, my body temperature was fine. Of course, after an hour or so in the water, I took a break on the beach and felt my hands tingling in a desperate attempt to warm up.

Surfing with a wetsuit on was much harder than I thought. I really felt like the wetsuit made the motion of pushing up on the board harder and less fluid. Ryan, however, was able to pop up easily on the first wave of the day--it must be the snowboarding. At one point, a seal swam by as if to show us that navigating waves was easy. I couldn't believe how close and nonchalant the seal was about swimming next to people, but the surfing beaches are so crowded on weekends and good wave days that the wildlife must be used to humans.

On the second day of our lessons, we woke up and immediately felt the fall chill. Air temperatures were in the 40s with significant wind. When we got to the beach, the waves were really choppy and close together making surfing difficult at best. In fact, many of the local surfers already in the water were having a tough time catching waves. Even our instructor suggested that we call it a day as conditions were pretty terrible. Part of me was sad but most of me was happy not to get into the water because I was freezing. Next time, I think we plan on surfing in warm water. Here are two pictures of the beach that we took on day 2:


Chapter 2: This Endless Love

Now for the wedding. Ryan worked with the groom, Mike, at Pratt and Whitney in Connecticut. Shortly after we left for Washington, DC, Mike moved to the San Jose area and Ryan was able to see Mike once a year when Ryan attended a conference for software programmers. I haven't seen Mike for years--probably since we left Connecticut in 2001. We were so honored to be invited to their wedding and had a great time.

The Last Moments of Single Life


They're hitched!!

First Dance

Ryan and I Enjoying the Reception

Some of the Connecticut Crew
Jeff Larsen, Jason Horwitz, and Ryan

Another CT Crew Member, Jeff Lee
He Wears His Sunglasses at Night

We had the best time catching up with friends and celebrating Mike and Lisa's commitment to each other. We hope they have a great time in Hawaii and look forward to the next group get-together!